fOR LAST 2 YEARS, HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY BASIL PLANTS. sTARTED FROM SEED AND PURCHASED POTTED PLANTS. gGROW ON SUNNY DECK AND PINCH OFF THE FLOWERS. lEAVES START TO SHRIVAL, TURN BROWN, AND FALL OFF. hELP AND THANKS.

If you are getting enough sun, I would look at water and soil. Most potted plants need to be watered daily, depending on the size of the pot. I always let a few flowers come on to attract the honeybees. Are you using a good soil? Basil is ususally pretty easy to grow. Are you growing in pots or in the ground?

I grow my herbs in pots, kept on south facing deck. Can't place in the yard, as we back up to the woods, and rabbits,deer, etc. like to treat my herbs as a salad bar. I love all the animals, so we compromise and use our upper deck for lots of potted plants. Thanks for the input, I may change the soil mix, and keep on trying with my basil. Thanks again. Laura

I've had the same trouble with my basil, LauraR, ans also with some leaves blanching white as if sunburned and bleached. I've always read that basil was a sun-lover. Late last summer, I got some older herb books and read in one that basil can't take full hot sun, and that it would do as yours and mine have done. So...I'm planing to put it in a place this year where it won't get the longest, hottest sun, mid-day, or where it can have some protection. I'm just not sure where or how yet--but I'll figure it out til summer. I want more basil!!

What could also be happening is your leaves are getting burned. What time of day do you water them? Watering is best done in the early morning or in the late afternoon. Water droplets sit on the leaves and when the sun shines through them, the leaf underneath gets cooked. What you could do is water the plant from the bottom. Set the plant, in its pot, in bowl/basin of water. It will soak up water from the bottom as needed. A layer of mulch will help the roots stay cooler too.